Category: Home Decor

You are in the kitchen fixing a late night snack when you hear the most awful noise you have ever heard. When you run to the living room, you see what is left of a car’s front grill through what is left of your living room window and wall. Hours later, after the police have left, you survey the damage. It is not good.

The wall, siding, some hardwood flooring and window will all have to be replaced. Even with insurance covering most of it, there will still be some out of pocket expense. Before you can do anything, you have to know just how much damage there is. Some damage may not be readily visible. A qualified inspector will be needed to examine the area and determine the extent of the damage. Then you can start the process of getting estimates for repairs.

If you are fortunate, the damage will not extend to the foundation or the roof. It will still be expensive and time consuming to have all the damage repaired. At least part of the wall frame will have to be rebuilt. Then wall sheathing can be put in place, followed by insulating and hanging new sheet rock. After that comes dry walling, replacing the window, applying texture and primer so the wall can be repainted. Then new siding that matches what is already on the house will need to be hung.

This type of scenario doesn’t happen often but it is a nightmare for those unfortunate ones it does happen to. Should anything like this ever happen to you, it helps ease the stress to know of a good, reliable contractor that can handle most if not all of the repair work before such a tragedy occurs. Don’t wait until you are already in such a nightmarish situation to find the right company. Find out which company you would want now so you can call right away to get the repair ball rolling.

Replace Damaged Siding or Completely Residing Your Home

Replacing damaged siding with new siding that matches the existing siding is not always easy, especially if your home is an older home that has never been resided. It may not even be possible to match it and then the only option is to completely reside the entire house.

Before you decide a complete residing is necessary, contact a reputable company and speak with a professional about your situation. Let them know you would prefer to match the existing siding if at all possible. The professional will inspect your home’s current siding to determine what the most realistic option is. If the siding is old, there could be damage or weakness in the siding that is not readily apparent. A qualified inspector will know what to look for to determine whether you should reside completely or replacing just the damaged siding is the best option.

Should it be determined that residing is the best option, you will have the opportunity to upgrade as well as update your home’s exterior. If you are the kind of person who enjoys house painting, wood siding might be a good option. Some people like the look of stucco and don’t mind the maintenance to keep it looking great.

Most people prefer not to have to do that kind of maintenance and if that is you, there are many low maintenance siding options to consider. Common options include aluminum and vinyl siding. Neither requires new paint every couple of years and can easily be cleaned. These are not the only options you have though. If you like the look of brick or stone, you can have that look without the expense of real brick or stone masonry. Some siding gives the look of brick or stone but don’t cost as much or take as long to install.

Whether you opt for siding replacement or a complete residing job, talk to a professional before making a final decision. Repairs and maintenance on your home is more than just keeping it is good repair. It is an investment.

Carpet has its place, but if you’re like a lot of people, you’d really rather have the hardwood flooring underneath. Taking out carpet can give your home a whole new look and feel, add a lot of aesthetic appeal and even increase its resale value – and in many cases, it’s a relatively quick and easy project which you can do yourself.

Assuming that your carpet isn’t attached with an adhesive, this is very simple. Start by cutting the carpet into strips using a utility knife (don’t go too deep or you’ll cut through the padding and damage the floor). This will make it easier to pull up and make getting it out much more manageable. Next, you’ll need to pull the carpet loose from the tack strip (start from a corner for this); pliers or a very thick pair of work gloves will make this easier. Keep pulling along the walls to remove each section of carpet.

Getting the padding out is easy enough. It’s usually attached with staples; just pull them out with pliers and remove the padding as you go. Once it’s out, you can take on the tack strips. With the right tools (pry bar, a hammer and pliers), this can be a very easy job. Slip the end of the pry bar under the tack strip, giving it a tap with the hammer if needed. Once you have enough leverage, pry the strip away from the floor and slide the pry bar along. If your tack strip is fairly new, this should go smoothly. Otherwise, you may have to pry out nails individually if the strip breaks into pieces.

After the tack strips are out, just go over the room carefully and pry up any remaining tacks or nails and clean up any residue from the padding. The next step will be to refinish the floors, but chances are that your home is starting to look better already – and all it took was a few hours work taking out the carpeting!

The nursery is a place where the parents will be spending a great deal of time at first. It goes without saying that the baby will spend a lot of time here too, which means that you want it to be warm and inviting as well as being a pleasant and relaxing place where the baby and the parents can spend their time together.

When decorating you’ll be well advised to use things that can grow with your baby.You’ll also want to think about a color that may be able to grow with your baby rather than something that will need to be painted or repainted in a year from now. Using neutral tones and decorating with decals and removable borders may be the best option, rather than painting and decorating with small baby items such as teddy bears or other things on the wall.

Your child is going to grow and eventually what is now a nursery will no longer be so, but instead bedroom for a toddler and then a younger child. Their tastes are going to change dramatically in just a few years.

Vinyl borders are readily available in nearly any wall covering store. They can be wiped and can be completely removed without leaving a mark on the walls. These will allow you to decorate with a theme and still to remove it to replace it as your baby grows into a toddler.

Using a neutral tone or a lighter tone such as a pale green or neutral cream color can then be bordered with other tones or colors. Removable vinyl decals on the wall will wipe clean far more easily than paper ones so consider that nod to easy to clean walls as well.

Carpeting in the infants room, or for a child’s room for that matter is of the utmost importance. Making sure that the carpet is easy care and easy clean is part of the issue, of course, but making it bright and comfortable and appealing is going to be more than important to the child.

Carpet is a reasonable investment for your child’s room and can be very helpful to prevent falls and injuries. Carpet and padding can keep a child safer simply by virtue of padding the room. Children are nothing if not rough and tumble. Carpet tiles may be your best option in a child’s room. Stains and spills can happen. Being able to remove just one carpet tile and replace it is easier and certainly more cost effective than replacing an entire room.

The nursery is also a place where you want to be able to clean it easily and make sure that you have furnishings that don’t absorb the dirt, but rather, repel it and keep the nursery as clean as possible. Choose the type of carpet that will be easy clean and easy care to keep your nursery as clean as possible with as little effort as possible.

Color is an art but there is also a science to it that can evoke different feelings or emotions. This is true not only of things like website design, and office buildings, but also of the rooms in which we spend the most time–those inside our home. Color is used to promote the feelings that we want people to have and to showcase our style. One example of this is the green room where people wait for television broadcasting. It was designed to provide relaxation and conversation and it works very well.

In order to ensure that your company feels at home or to ensure feelings of warmth and welcome there are certain colors that you can use that will make the room that you are decorating feel warmer, cooler or more relaxing.

Blue for example offers up feelings of trust and promotes relaxation. If you’d like to create that kind of feeling–probably most appropriate in a bedroom, then you can use warm blues or lighter blue to make your guests relax and feel at home. Too much blue can often backfire. Science tells us that the blue color can actually promote sleeping so having a lot of blue in a room such as your living room will actively encourage sleep.

Red is a color that provides energy. Too much red in a room can actually promote anger or provide too much energy. It’s best used in darker tones when used on the walls or, if you want to inject a bit of energy into the room, create a small area where red is a brilliant accent that will draw attention to that space. A white or black sofa can benefit from red accent pillows to add a splash of color and energy to that area. Red or dark red carpet or flooring can provide a dramatic counterpoint for a lighter colored wall or furniture.

Yellow is bright and sunny but may also cause caution, much as it is used in a stop light to provide a cautionary statement to the drive. Yellow in the kitchen adds energy and offers a wake up call to the person entering the room. The shades matter as much as the color. A lighter, buttercream yellow may seem more easy on the eyes and provide a little more relaxation and add a touch of energy,while the deeper yellow in a large amount might create tension. Yellow or cream colored rugs in a room mesh well with browns, blacks, blues or even red but too much of the color can be problematic unless it is laid out in various tones.

Experimentation with different colors can provide you with rooms that are pleasant and relaxing and offer your family and friends the ideal backdrop for interactions. Using different colors and textures in the room, mixing and matching them will create a more interesting environment. Your style in decorating says a lot about y ou. Experiment with carpet and flooring colors until you get the look that you want. Don’t settle for something that isn’t you.